Moody to coach Mohali franchise

Tom Moody, the former Australian allrounder who coached Sri Lanka, has been confirmed as coach of the Mohali franchise of the Indian Premier League (IPL).

Moody is expected to be joined in the BCCI-backed tournament by fellow Australian John Buchanan, who is likely to coach the Kolkata-based team. AAP reported that Buchanan will sign a three-year deal with the Kolkata franchise, which will have Sourav Ganguly in its team, within the next week. The stint will be Buchanan's first serious coaching assignment since stepping down as Australia's coach following the World Cup win in the West Indies last year.

Greg Chappell, the former India coach, and Victoria's Greg Shipperd are the other key contenders for coaching positions among the IPL franchises.

The Mohali franchise also named Yuvraj Singh as the captain of its team. "We are pleased to choose Mohali as our centre ahead of all the other choices we had, as it is the best association (Punjab Cricket Association) and with excellent facilities," Ness Wadia, a co-owner of the franchise, told the Hindustan Times. "With Yuvraj as our captain and Moody as coach, I think everything has fallen into place for us."

Moody was sounded out last week as a candidate and was expected to take a call last Friday. He took over as coach of his native Western Australia after a successful two-year stint with Sri Lanka which ended after the World Cup in the West Indies last year.

The franchise officials did not, however, reveal any further details on the team's composition. The players' auction is set to take place in Mumbai on Wednesday with a host of international players already signed up.

Four local players have to be selected in the squad and IS Bindra, the president of the association, said a Ranji Trophy player would be given a $50,000 contract while an Under-22 player would be offered a minimum of $20,000. The tournament begins on April 18.